Wednesday, June 30, 2010

As Christians, love is the basis of our entire identity. Our spiritual rebirth comes because "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son." (John 3:16) And because of God's love, we are propelled to go into the world and love others.

Our love for others is what is suppose to be how people distinguish us as Disciples of Christ! (John 13:35), it is the root and ground of our very being (Ephesians 3:17). It is what we should all be striving towards to get better and better at.

So what happens when the love that we have nourished and shared is rejected? How do we handle it when someone we have loved, chooses to not love us back? This happens in many relationships, not just marriage. Friends turn their back. Spouses leave. Parents split up. Co-workers betray your trust.

Being faithful...how difficult is it to just do what you say? In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS, I polled the readers the following question, "Do you find it difficult to remain faithful to things?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 60% of those polled, said that they find it difficult to be faithful to read their Bible.
2. 20% voted and said that it is difficult to be faithful in alot of things.
3. 10% said that keeping commitments was really difficult to be faithful to.

The results of this week's poll makes me think that possibly when it comes to being faithful, we must learn to be faithful in the small things before we can be faithful in the bigger things! Learning to be faithful in our relationships may first start with learning to be faithful with our time, with our money and our talents. The prophet Hosea was a remarkable example of the depths of faithfulness that God's children should take:

Against all logic, God instructed Hosea to marry a woman who was a prostitute. Even though his marriage to Gomer produced 3 children, it wasn't long before her past caused her to be unfaithful. Hosea was brokenhearted and no doubt feeling abandoned and shamed. Hosea loved his wife, but she was disloyal and adulterous. She rejected him for another cheap version of love.

Time had passed by, and God spoke to Hosea again. Yet again, God asked Hosea to do something against all logic...find Gomer and reaffirm his love to her. Gomer had reached an all-time low and had been brought before the slave block, to be sold. Hosea paid the price for her redemption and brought her back home and embraced her with love and forgiveness.

What a beautiful story of faithful love, even thru rejection. This depicts the very love story that God has for us! Even though we reject Him, and we are unfaithful to Him with our Bible Reading and Praying ... He still waits with open arms to welcome us home. There is no better love than the love of our Heavenly Father.

It IS possible to be faithful not only in the small things, but the BIG things too...with the help of God!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I have been reading a book entitled, "To Save A Life", written by Jim and Rachel Britts. The story unfolds of two teenage boys who were childhood friends, but different paths find them going down different roads. One finds a road that leads to popularity, sports and the center of attention. While the other finds himself lost on a road that seemingly has him lost in the crowd, where nobody notices him or even cares about him - including his childhood friend.

Thru different choices made, the popular teen finds himself grieving and asking "life" questions after his childhood friend commits suicide right in front of him. As the quest goes on to find out why nobody seemed to care, the friend left behind finds God and begins to impact other social castaways the best that he can.

It took a "death" to find "life" for this teenage boy. A quest that many of us never embark on or find. Reading this novel has really stirred my heart and I began to dig deep into my own life and heart and I have asked myself..."What am I willing to do to save a life?"

Am I willing to lose social class to save someone?Am I willing to lose friends to save someone?Am I willing to put my faith on the line to save someone?

1 JOHN 3:16"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Of course the ultimate death was given on Calvary so we all can have life, and we cannot really save anyone, only the Grace of God can do that. But what am I willing to do to toss a life line to someone who is drowning and about to give up on life? Am I willing to do what it takes to shake my world for Christ?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Have you ever worked so hard that you got a callous on your hand? Perhaps while working in the yard or around the house? When I was in Ecuador, I spent days doing nothing but mudding walls. I gripped the wooden handle of that trowel for hours at a time. The first day wasn't so bad, but by the 2nd and 3rd day ... I was feeling the work I was doing in the middle of my palm.

A callous was forming. My perfectly soft and gentle palm was now rough and the skin began to tear. Have you ever noticed that when you get a callous, that after some time of rubbing, the skin becomes hard?

The same thing can happen to our hearts. Through a sermon, or a Bible reading or thru a friend who speaks encouragement into us ... I'm not sure how, but I do know that God uses people and things to prick our hearts. Our hearts get pricked and pricked and pricked again, but sometimes our heart can be pricked so many times that we don't even feel or recognize the pricking of the Holy Spirit. Like our calloused hand, our hearts become hard.

MATTHEW 13:15 "The hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them."

When my hand became calloused in Ecuador, I wrapped it up to protect it from coming even more rough. The extra care and the padding seemed to protect the skin and instead of getting worse, it got better. Our hearts are just as tender as our hands, and it needs protection.

It is difficult to hear and see God's Truth and Light when your heart becomes hard and calloused. We have only been given one heart ... keep it protected!

Friday, June 25, 2010

This old proverb always puzzled me. I mean really? ... how can pudding prove anything? The meaning of this saying actually means that the only way that you will know if a food is prepared correctly is by tasting it. So in other words, the only way we can know if pudding is the real thing is by testing it!

The same is true of knowing if a Christian is made up of the right ingredients.

LUKE 6:43"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit. Nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."

The proof of Christianity can be found in the fruits. It says it so well in this above passage, a strong and healthy Christian will only produce strong and healthy fruits. The proof can always be found in the fruit.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

This week for THANKFUL THURSDAY, my 14 year old daughter is my guest writer. We recently returned from a 2 week missions trip to Ecuador and I asked her to share with us something God spoke to her while in Ecuador. Here is what she had to say:

Being in Ecuador for two weeks can really change a person. I went to Ecuador with a selfish mentality and walked into a wake-up call from God. Everything that I saw while being there made me realize how wonderful I have it here in the United States!

As we would walk the streets or go to different towns, my heart began to break for the families who lived in the one room, dirt huts for a home. They go home everyday not knowing if their home is still there or if they're going to have dinner for the family. When I go home, you know what I see? I see a messy house with dinner on the table. I see a carpet and a wood floor. Things like this may seem little but they really are big things. God has an amazing way in tendering your heart.

One day, everybody was on the bus going to a school. My mom and I were admiring this poor ladies purse. I pointed to it and smiled. The lady then emptied her purse and.. gave us her purse! She probably was going home to a dirt home with no dinner and no money. However, she decided to show a servent's heart and gave me her purse! Just the thought of that makes my heart break because I took it.

(This is the beautiful Ecuador lady who gave her purse away)

I have too many purses to count and she has nothing. I have a selfish attitude and she had a selfless attitude. God is so wonderful and magical.. He used a lady giving me her purse to show me what I need to work on spiritually. I want to break my heart for what breaks His. My heart and life needs to become more selfless like Jesus and less selfish like the world.

Thank you. Anna

Aren't you thankful that Jesus showed us how to have a servants heart? He is our ultimate example, may we each strive to have more of a selfless attitude like Anna has reminded us of today. Thank you Anna! And thank You Jesus for lessons learned from a purse! :)

Join your grateful heart with ours over at GRACE ALONE with IRIS this week! HAPPY TT!!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

WHAT GIVES YOU SATISFACTION?Doing a good job? Earning a good living? Doing good for the less fortunate? Knowing that your spouse or a loved one cares about you?

In the recent YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "What brings you satisfaction?" The top 3 answers were...

1. 67% responded and said that they get satisfaction from helping others.

2. 44% voted and said that their satisfaction comes from doing a good job.
3. 14% replied and said that a tall glass of iced tea brings satisfaction.

Many times we seek our satisfaction in other people and other things. And I would have to agree with the poll this week and say that I too find satisfaction in all 3 of the top answers. But many times I have also found disappointment from the very thing that also satisfies me from time to time.

In my walk with God, I have found that it is in Him that my true satisfaction comes from. Serving Him is not a part time acquisition. Setting my mind and heart on Him every single day is what satisfies my soul. He alone can satisfy. In others, there seems to be conditions of our limit of being satisfied. But God satisfies even when all else fails us.

Everyday I place expectations on people around me. Sometimes they meet them and most of the time they do not. In all honesty, we as humans, can never really totally satisfy all the demands put on us. The demands go unmet for various reasons, but mainly because some of our demands are unreasonable and partly because we are human.

The only one who can completely satisfy is God. Whoever approaches Him with total dependence each day will find out just how dependable He is.

No-one else can give us such satisfaction.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6,7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

How difficult is it for us to trust God to supply all of our needs? The story of the Samaritan woman displays how we try to meet our needs with other things. (John 4:10) The woman who had tried getting her needs met through a string of failed relationships, found herself at the well with a empty water bucket and an empty life. She arrived at the well broken and desperately in need. But the water she found at the well was much more than what she had expected. In Christ she found what He called the "Living Water" to quench a thirst that she had like no other.

This is the kind of satisfaction I desire. The kind that God offers that never quits giving or refreshing. It offers complete satisfaction!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

One of the hardest things to do is hanging on when things get tough. Sometimes I find it easier to just throw in the towel and give up then to press in and keep going. Recently, I was given a test that really pushed my endurance to the limit.

As many of you know, I just returned from a 2 week missions trip to the country of Ecuador. On the second night of our trip, I took a tumble and fell down (hard) on a cement step by the pool. I knew instantly that something was not right in my body. I could barely walk. Each day I had hoped the pain would ease, but it didn't. It hurt to walk. It hurt to sit. It hurt to bend. It hurt to stand. It just plain hurt.

There were a few days that I just did not think I could keep on going because of the intense pain. But I was determined to finish the job that I had started. Even though my body was weary, God was the One sustaining me! He helped me to keep on going.

GALATIANS 6:9"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Since returning home to the states, I have found out that the intense pain was the result of a broken coccyx. As I think about the bumpy bus rides, all of the mudding and scraping I did and the long, bumpy airplane ride home - there is no doubt in my mind that it would have been easy for me to give up and quit but because I leaned upon Gods strength, I was able to endure what seems impossible with the human eye.

What God did for me during my tough time, He will do for you. Next time you feel weary, tired and like you can't hold on anymore ... remember God will hold your hands up and secure your steps. Don't give up. Keep on keeping on.

"We are all on our way somewhere. We'll get there if we just keep going." - BARBARA JOHNSON

Monday, June 21, 2010

I have shared the following thoughts with the readers over at LACED WITH GRACE today. Check out daily devo's from an awesome team of writers by clicking HERE!

I just returned from a 2 week missions trip to Ecuador. A team of 34 from our church went to help work on a Children’s Campground. In addition to doing construction, we took a team of 11 youth to do evangelism in schoolyards in Ecuador. It was indeed an amazing and life changing experience.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to church. My husband who is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, had the honor of preaching two church services. This was not our first time to travel to Ecuador, and every time we go, we are amazed at the love and the joy of these precious people.

As we sat thru the worship time, my heart jumped with joy. When the worship leader spoke, I did not understand it. When the Ecuadorian Pastor offered prayer, I did not understand the words prayed. When offering was taken up, I did not understand what was said.

There was a language barrier. They spoke Spanish, I did not.

But something happened when the music began. The words of the songs sung were still in a foreign language but there was something familiar about it. It was the spirit of God. All of sudden, I realized how beautiful the sound of worship to our Lord sounded.

At that moment, I understood that to God, worship is worship…no matter what language it is expressed in. With God there is no language barrier. He understands love. He hears love. He is love.

1 JOHN 4:16 “God is love”.

God is everywhere and He IS love!

May we all understand that God longs and yearns to hear our worship and adoration. To Him, it is truly music to His ears. No matter what language it is expressed in. So go ahead and give all of your praise to Him in whatever native tongue you speak … in the end, it all interprets the same.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some older posts. This post originally posted on December 7, 2009:

Now that I live in the south, one of the things that I miss about this time of the year is a fresh snowfall. As a northern girl, I saw my share of snow growing up and believe me, now that I live in the south I don't miss shoveling it, or scraping it and shoveling it some more. But I do miss the beauty of seeing freshly fallen snow hanging ever so gently on the tree branches and the lightly covered ground.

The greatest thing about a lightly snow covered ground is that you can tell a story. You can retrace each step that was taken across the yard and tell where the steps began and where the steps ended. As a child, living in Wisconsin, I loved playing a game in the snow - where I would try to retrace someones steps in the snow. I would try to place my foot in the footprint of the one who walked across my yard and see where I would end up at.

As silly as that may sound to you now, it reminds me of exactly what God has done for us. He has already shown us the way, His footprints have been left for us - all we have to do is follow His steps.

If we would follow His footsteps, we will never have to wander around, wondering which way is the right way or which way is the wrong way. As we follow His lead, God will be with us each step of the way.

Dear Lord - Thank You for sending me Your Son. Help me to follow His example and to be more like Him everyday. As I seek direction, help me to seek His footprints to find my way. I am so thankful that He will never lead me astray. AMEN

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some older posts. This post originally posted on December 15, 2009:

Many times when I am afraid of something, I would rather pull the covers up around me and hope that they will go away. This method of madness usually does not work.

I will never forget how our son Jeremy faced a big fear of his. Ever since I can remember, Jeremy has been afraid of heights. We had many vacations to the mountain, and I can still vision Jeremy staying back as we all got to the edge of the cliff to look down. His fear gripped him so much that he missed out on seeing the beauty of Gods hand.

Jeremy finally had to face this fear he had of heights when he enlisted in the Air Force four years ago. Part of his training that he would have to pass for his job in the Air Force was to climb up a telephone pole. As much as he would liked to have not feared this ... truth is, he did. He knew he had to come up with an action plan to overcome this fear of heights.

One day, my husband and I came home and noticed that our extended ladder was out. Since we knew we didn't get it out, we asked Jeremy if he knew why the ladder was out. Come find out, Jeremy had taken the ladder out and had been "practicing" overcoming his fear of heights by climbing up on the roof of our house and sitting up there.

We laughed about that, but in reality Jeremy was on to something here. Several weeks later, when we attended his bootcamp graduation, Jeremy took us over to the telephone pole that he had to climb and be tested on. (not only did he climb it but he had to get to the top and then lean back and hang there) I will never, ever in my life forget what he said when I asked him how he was able to get the courage to climb that pole. He said, "Mom, I just did it. It is all a mind set."

I could not have been more proud of my son than I was in that moment. This reminds me of what Paul was trying to tell Timothy...God has given us a boldness and there will be times that we will face times of uncertainity and fear. Paul told Timothy to not fear because God lives in us and does not give us a spirit of fear.

LUKE 8:50 says "Do not be afraid; only believe!"

Sometimes, I think as christians we have the wrong mind set when it comes to our fears. We forget that God never puts more on us than we can handle, and no matter the heighth or depth of our fear - He is ALWAYS with us. Faith is stronger than fear!

Sometimes I just need to get a ladder out and go sit on the roof ...how about you?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some older posts. This post originally posted on December 18, 2009:

I have found myself laughing alot lately. I think its the place that I find myself at in this thing I call life. I know I am over 40 years old but sometimes I just like to laugh like I am a kid again.

It seems like whenever I spend time with my two youngest children, they just bring out this happy, laughing side of me. I can't explain it, but I just have a blast spending time with them! Tonight as a Christmas present to myself, I took them to a Broadway show of "The Wizard of Oz", and I smiled and laughed and laughed some more. They laughed too ... but I think it was either a courtesy laugh or they were just laughing at me when I was singing along to all of the songs of "The Wizard of Oz!"

Either way ... I had so much fun. Fun with them and fun just laughing. The Bible says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) Joy and laughter are God-given gifts that help us live less stressful and more productive lives. Sometimes when there is nothing to laugh at, we should laugh anyway! It won't take long before you will feel the healing power of joy and laughter bring new life and new energy to our weary and frustrating day.

Monday, June 14, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some posts. This post originally posted on December 4, 2009:

We have 3 dogs. Jasmine, Lucy and Maggie. Each has its own personality and habits. It is fun to watch them, and if we try to give one some attention… they all come running. Fighting to get more attention from us than the others.

Have you ever noticed just how faithful your pets can be? It doesn’t matter what we do ~ our dogs are always happy to see us. If we forget to feed them … they still wag their tail when they see us. If we leave them home alone all day long … they still patiently await our arrival. If we accidentally leave them out in the rain … they still love us.

FAITHFUL. I was reminded just the other day just how faithful these canines are. My teen daughter was in her room, all 3 dogs were sprawled out on her floor. She sat down and the black lab (Lucy) came close to her. Anna began to tell Lucy (the canine) all about her awful day. All the while, Lucy listened intently and didn’t take her eyes off of Anna. When Anna finished her story, she looked down at Lucy and asked, “so what do you think?” And almost as if Lucy understood, that canine whined right back at Anna, like she was saying “it’s alright, I’m here for you.”

It’s no wonder that these animals are considered Man’s Best Friend. They are faithful and loyal. Doesn’t this describe exactly the kind of friend that God wants us to be?

PROVERBS 20:6 “Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?”

It may seem like finding such a loyal friend can only be found in our canines, but God has raised us up to pursue a life of faithfulness and loyalty, not only to Him but to those around us. Have you considered what being a loyal friend means to you?

Dear Lord…today I am asking You to help me to be a faithful friend. Help me not only to be loyal to those I call “friends” but also to those that seemingly are “friendless”. May Your loving Spirit shine thru me as I pursue to be the BEST friend that I can possibly be. AMEN

Friday, June 11, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some older posts. This post originally posted on December 22, 2009:

One of my favorite memories of my children when they were young happened on Saturday mornings. The one day that we (my hubby and me) had to sleep in, the kids would rise early and clad in their pj's would come to our room and climb up in our bed with us. We would cuddle, talk and watch TV while we all laid out in our bed.

That memory often times comes alive again now that my kids are grown up. It never fails ... just when we are settled in our pj's and about to turn the light out, our grown sons while home visiting, will come into our room and crawl into the bed with us and talk. It's pretty amazing how we all lay across our bed and talk about really important issues in their lives and at other times, we just laugh about something funny that we have recalled.

It doesn't take long either ... if one is in our room visiting with us, the rest will soon follow. What a sight to see ~ all of us sprawled out on our bed. What a wonderful feeling!

This weekend, when our son and daughter were sprawled out in our bedroom with us talking, I was reminded that it is in the dark of the night, when we need our Heavenly Father that we can call out His name and He is right there in our bedroom with us. We don't have to get up and find Him in another room, He is with us right where we are.

MATTHEW 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

One thing that I have learned with our kids is that they may need to come in and get sprawled out on our bed at all hours of the night to talk. Even if we have drifted off to sleep, we want them to know that our light is always on for them. Isn't that a neat way to remember how God is always here for us ... He always has a light on for us. It never burns out, blows up, or blows a fuse. His light is eternal and everlasting.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting older posts. This post originally posted on December 3, 2009:

Today I went shopping for a new pair of jeans. I gathered up several different styles before I finally found a pair that actually looked alright on me. On my way to the checkout to pay for my purchase, a beautiful blouse caught my eye. So I made a slight detour to check it out. It was hand beaded and beautiful (but not on sale!), as I looked at the tag for the price, something on the tag jumped out at me. The tag read, "I am your special garment. I am unique and often hand-woven, hand-beaded, hand-printed, and hand-painted. My defects are part of my beauty!"

Have you ever considered your "defects" as being part of your beauty? You know what I mean...all those things that when we look in the mirror we see as flaws or defects. Wrinkles, grey hair, extra weight, etc. I once read that the average woman in America is a size 14 ... well who am I to try to be below average? The culture that we live in today tells us something different though, doesn't it? It trys to sell us on all kinds of products that will erase away, tuck away and wax away those things that we find unacceptable, so that we can be less than the average size.

GENESIS 1:31 "God looked over all that He had made, and it was excellent in every way."

Each of us is made in a very special and unique way and God loves us so much that He gave each of us His own garment tag and it reads, "Created by His hand to do marvelous and wonderful things. You are my special child, unique, not like any other."

Being unique is something we all can be thankful for! What are you thankful for today...join your grateful heart with ours this week as we celebrate THANKFUL THURSDAY!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re-posting some older posts. This post was initially posted on December 23, 2009.

Not long ago, I read a story about a little girl who was frightened during a storm. The little girl's mother came in to her room to comfort her but when the mother tried to leave, the little girl objected. The mother said to her, "It's alright honey. God is here with you". But her daughter said, "I know Mommy...but I want someone with skin on."

I am sure that all of you have heard that story as well, but I was thinking that this picture is one of what it is like when we forgive a brother or sister. Forgiving them helps them to see God "with skin on".

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the question, "When you are feeling guilty about something you have done to someone, what do you do?" The top 3 responses were:

1. 88% of those voting in the poll said that they just talk to the person.
2. 5% voted and said that they would "kiss up" to that person by saying nice things.
3. Another 5% polled said that they make amends in some other way.

No doubt, we have all done or said something that we later might feel guilty about. Sometimes this guilt keeps us from maintaining relationships with the ones that we love, and unfortunetly our guilt can even keep us from a fresh, daily walk with our Lord. Really what we are all looking for is "love" with "skin on it".

John said it best: "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us."(1 John 4:12)

I think what John is saying is that we, as God's children, have the ability to show one another what love is with "skin on". How much skin have you shared today?

This week for WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD, I have shared some thoughts on a study that I was doing on Jacob. When I came to the passage about Jacob wrestling with the angel, I wondered to myself just how many times I, as Gods daughter, wrestle with things such as guilt. Is it the guilt or the love of God that others see in me? I had to stop and ask God to help me show others what all His love covers.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting older posts. This post originally posted on December 11, 2009:

Every year we go to the beach. It is one of the highlights of our summer. It never surprises me how the weather can change so quickly. We can be sitting out on the beach chairs, soaking up the sun rays and splashing around in the water as the waves roll in and out and almost as suddenly as the wind blows, the weather can instantly change. The dark clouds start to move in and the wind picks up and before long, the beach assistants are folding up the chairs and locking everything up and moving everyone off of the beach.

A storm is brewing and in order to get back to our condo safely before it hits...we better get moving quickly. It never surprises me that every time this has happened, there is always someone who ignores the signs and stays out there on the beach.

I was thinking about this the other day, and how some of us are living our Christian walk much like those on the beach. The signs of danger and the warning that a storm is near is all around us, but yet we ignore the signs. Maybe we think that the storm isn't going to be that bad, or possibly we aren't sure what we are suppose to do ... so we just don't do anything.

Sometimes it is easier to plan to do something than it is to actually do it. Thinking about your plan of action in the midst of a storm doesn't do us much good when we are still sitting around when the hurricane hits. When God calls us to action, He will be our guiding light in times of danger, but we must not be still in this moment, we must trust Him and just get moving!

PSALM 119:60 "Lord, I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments."

If there is a storm brewing around you ... have you noticed the warning signs?

Monday, June 7, 2010

While I am out of the country on a missions trip, I am re posting some older posts. This post originally posted on December 14, 2009:

It has been a few years since we have gone to the mountaintop to celebrate Christmas, but the memories of it are as fresh in my mind as the pine needles are on my mantle. When the children were younger, we would pack up and drive to Petite Jean Mountain and stay in a cozy cabin and celebrate Christmas in a unique way.

The steep climb up the road to the cabin was always interesting. Especially if the road was slick with ice. It was always an adventure to go up the road and we always had to make sure we stopped at the market down at the bottom of the hill for fear that once we got up the road that we would not be able to get back down again, because of the iced over road.

The most memorable trip to Petite Jean Mountain was the year that we all ventured out on a long hike around the mountain. The paths become very steep at times and it actually is a dangerous path to take. Caution must be taken when hiking these trails. On this particular trip, our boys were young and my husband decided that he would explain to them the "do's" and the "don'ts" of hiking on a dangerous trail.

Rule #1 ... stay on the path.Rule #2 ... do not try to take a shortcut through the trees.Rule #3 ... step carefully, as it ices in places and you will lose your footing.Rule #4 ... see how steep this mountain is? people have disregarded rule #1, #2 and #3 and have fallen to their death off of the mountain.

Almost as soon as these "rules" came out of my husbands mouth, he slipped on the ice (rule #3) and slid off of the path (rule #1) and slid down the side of the mountain, only to be caught by a tree (rule #2). After we caught our breath and realized he was alright, the boys laughed and laughed at how daddy taught them how to "properly" slide and fall off of the mountain.

Remembering this awesome memory of our Christmas past, caused me to remember what the scripture in Proverbs says about slipping and falling...

"People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." PROVERBS 10:9

How firm is your footing? As you walk on this path of "life", do you find yourself having a difficult time following the 4 "do" and "don't" rules?

Stay on the path, keep your eye on the prize!

Taking shortcuts will only delay your blessing...put your trust in God and allow Him to take the lead!

Getting off course can cause harm or even death ... stay firm in His Word!

Friday, June 4, 2010

There were 2 brothers who were fighting side by side in France. Both brothers struggled to return to their unit, but only one returned safely. The returning soldier pleaded with his commanding officer to let him return to the front lines to look for his lost brother. Reluctantly, the officer gave permission. Sometime later, the soldier returned with his brother draped around his shoulders. But, just as they crossed the safety of the bunker, his brother gasped his last breath and died. The officer quickly said to the soldier, "See, I let you risk your life for nothing!" But the soldier responded and said, "No. When I found my brother and held him, he said to me...'I knew you'd come!' "

As I finish packing for my missions trip to Ecuador, I cannot help but think about the Ecuadorian people that we will be ministering to. My heart is so full, to share Christ with those that are so hungry for Him and to help build a Youth Campground, the first in the country of Ecuador. I wonder how many Ecuadorians have prayed for someone to come and share Christ with their people?

1 SAMUEL 26:23"The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness."

The greatest reward for me would be to hear someone say, "I knew you'd come!"

Please pray for me and the missions team as we go minister to the Ecuadorian people. Maybe you can't go on such a missions trip, but if you agree in prayer with me ... you are partnering with me and you are part of the missions team!! We will be there June 5th-19th. We covet your prayers!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

I haven't worn a wrist watch in a long time. One of the reasons I stopped wearing one was because one day my watch just stopped working. It was one of my favorite watches and it just doesn't seem right to wear another one.

I came across that old watch the other day. I thought maybe just maybe I could try to fix it. I tapped on it. I shook it. I wound it up. But it still did not work. I finally took it into Wal-Mart to have the battery checked. The most amazing thing happened...once that small battery was replaced, that watch started ticking away!

Little things are not always insignificant. Like that watch battery, it was that itsybitsy piece of metal that was the solution to the problem. Sometimes it is the smallest things that can have the greatest power!

1 JOHN 4:4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

How incredibly amazing that when we apply God's strength to the "little" things in our life - how much His power changes everything!

I am so thankful for God's strength that not only carries me thru the big, tragic events in my life but how He sustains me even thru the little stuff. He is always there.

Have a wonderful THANKFUL THURSDAY! Join your grateful heart with ours by linking up over with IRIS!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Do you ever feel helpless? Like no matter what you do or don't do, it is never good enough? I have felt this way many times. It is easy to feel helpless when it comes to ourselves but what about others...when other people near and dear to us do things that they shouldn't, an awful feeling of helplessness comes over us.

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "What area of life do you ever feel helpless?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 26% of those polled said that they feel helpless in their family.
2. Another 26% voted and said that they feel helpless at their job.

3. 26% more votes came in and said that they feel helpless in their friendships.

This poll reveals to me that not only do we struggle with what we should do or shouldn't do, but we struggle with what others do or don't do. Helplessness is simply a state of confusion and frustration.

ROMANS 5:6 "While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

How amazing is it that everything that we have failed at or haven't been able to do, and every minute that has been wasted trying to fix things our way - all of it - can be forgiven and made right by simply placing our life into the hand of the One who first gave it to us!

No matter how hard we try, we can never simply be "good enough" to live with a pure and holy God but God sent His only Son into this world so we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9) It is by His death that the very idea of being unloved and feeling helpless was made invalid. Whenever we feel this way, we must have taken our eyes off of the cross because it was there that His love was proven for us!

This kind of love cannot be earned and certainly it is difficult to even grasp the depth of this kind of love, but this love of God is the kind that allows us to walk freely in the fullness and blessing of His love, without condemnation, without feeling helpless!

True love is found in Christ alone. Once we receive this gift of new life of forgiveness, we can help others instead of feeling helpless!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Have you ever opened up a can of soda after it had been shaken? If you have, you have experienced a shower of surprise! All of the carbonated drink inside that small can all of a sudden explodes into a shower of spray, usually exploding on the person holding the can and on those things near by.

Did you know that this is exactly what God wants us to be like? He wants our lives to be so full of love and goodness that it overflows and spills out on everyone around us. Before we can "spill" out on others, we have to make sure our tank is FULL!

1 JOHN 4:11 "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

When we wrap our minds and hearts around the fact that God so loved us that He gave His only son, our hearts and minds will begin to fill up with His love. His love is unending and before we know it, love will be oozing and pouring out of us because we will not be able to contain all the love He has for us.

This kind of love cannot come from ourselves. It is impossible to love your enemy without having the love of the Father inside of you. Shaking up His love that is inside will only do one thing - explode and spray those around you.

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About Me

Sharing God's love and truth thru devotional writing here and across the web. My heart is to bring hope,love and forgiveness to those that feel broken and lost. I was once broken and lost but I am so glad that God didn't let me stay that way. Come along with me on this adventure of faith and may you also find the hope and love that you are longing for! :)